Regency: Mischief & Marriage: Secret Heiress / Bartered Bride

‘That was my hope. You will tell me whatever you discover?’

‘Of course. When I am certain.’

‘You have no immediate plans for marriage, I take it?’

‘None at the moment, sir. I am not sure any young woman would put up with me. I have little to offer.’

The earl shook his head. ‘Do not put yourself down, my boy. Walk down to the estate office with me, Daniel. I have a building project I should like your advice on.’

‘Willingly.’ Daniel set his glass down. ‘I shall be pleased to see your plans for the new cottages.’

‘Well, Miss Eliza, so we shall be losing you soon.’ Mr Jones, the estate manager, smiled at her as she explained her reason for bringing in the letter. ‘But you will enjoy living in Bath or London, I dare say—more life for you there than here, I imagine.’

‘I like being in the country, sir,’ Eliza replied. ‘I shall miss my friends here, but it is time I started to support myself.’

‘Mrs Jones would have taken you at the house if there were a mistress,’ the manager said. ‘I had a word with her a while ago, but there was only menial work and she didn’t think it right that Parson Bancroft’s daughter should scrub floors. She will be very pleased to learn you are to apply for a position as a companion to a lady. She was only saying last night that it was what you ought to do.’

‘That was kind of her,’ Eliza replied. She knew the estate manager had let her have the cottage for longer than he truly ought, because there were estate workers needing a place to live. ‘Give your wife my good wishes, sir. I should get back now. I want to give Betty a hand with the garden.’

‘I’ll send your letters later this afternoon,’ Ted Wright promised. ‘Take care now, lass.’

‘Yes, I shall,’ Eliza said and opened the door to leave. She was startled by the arrival of two gentlemen who had been about to enter, flushing as she saw the earl and the man whose horse had almost knocked her down earlier. ‘I beg your pardon, my lord.’

‘No matter,’ the earl said, his eyes narrowing in recognition. ‘Ah, yes, Miss Eliza Bancroft. I was sorry to have to ask you to leave the cottage, but Jones told you we had a family waiting for it, I dare say? And I did not feel it was quite safe for you to stay there alone, considering the situation locally. You will have heard of the missing girls, not girls of quality, of course, but still it is worrying. You have settled in with Wright and his wife, I believe?’

‘Yes, my lord.’ Eliza dipped a curtsy, understanding his reasoning for more than one young village girl had gone missing over the past two years. ‘I knew I could not stay for ever, sir. Besides, I hope to find work soon, perhaps in London or Bath.’

‘Well, that is excellent news,’ the earl said. ‘Ah, Jones, I am glad I caught you. I wanted to take another look at the plans for the new cottages.’

As the earl moved off to speak with his manager, Eliza looked at the younger man. His eyes went over her, brows lifted in a question.

‘You are recovered from your fright, Miss Bancroft?’

‘Yes, thank you, sir. I was not truly hurt at all,’ she said, but her heart did a little flip as she caught the pleasant scent of cologne that hung about him. She recalled the feeling that had shot through her when he licked her hand and felt her cheeks burn. ‘Excuse me, I must not keep you from your business.’

He inclined his head and moved aside, but she felt his eyes on her as she went out through the open door. After a few steps she looked back and saw he was still watching her. She had never seen eyes quite as arresting as his before. Not knowing why, she gave him a wide smile and a little wave before turning back and walking away. Her heart was beating too fast and she wondered why this second meeting within a short space of time should affect her so much?

Eliza smiled to herself. If Daniel Seaton were going to visit his uncle more often, it might be best that she would soon be leaving Norfolk. It would not do for her to meet him too often, because she could easily begin to like him more than was wise for a young woman of her station.

Chapter Two

‘Oh, that is a nuisance,’ Betty said as she looked at the milk jug she had taken from the cold pantry the following morning. ‘The milk has curdled and I was going to make a rice pudding for Ted’s supper.’

‘May I go to the farm for you?’ Eliza asked. ‘I can be there and back in an hour; there will still be plenty of time for you to make that pudding.’

‘What a thoughtful girl you are,’ Betty said approvingly. ‘If you would not mind, it would be a big help to me.’

‘It is no trouble at all,’ Eliza said, taking sixpence from the shelf and the big jug from the pantry.

She set out for the farm, which was just across the fields from her friend’s cottage. Somewhere above her head a lark was singing and the grass in the wild meadow was almost waist high. She was singing to herself, enjoying the warmth of the sun when she suddenly saw the man walking towards her through the long grass. Her heart caught a beat as he smiled and came up to her.

‘Good morning, Miss Bancroft. You seem happy this morning?’

‘It is such a lovely day,’ she replied. She could not help remarking how blue his eyes were, thinking them a match for the cloudless sky. His smile brought an answering one from her. ‘How do you go on at your uncle’s? Do you mean to stay long?’

‘Only a few days, unfortunately,’ Daniel Seaton replied and then frowned. ‘I think my uncle mends, but he is not as well as I should like.’

‘I am sorry to hear that, sir.’

Eliza found that he was walking beside her, clearly intending to accompany her to the farm.

‘He took my cousin’s death hard,’ he continued. ‘However, he is better than he was the last time I was down.’

‘Did you come at Christmas? I know the earl felt unable to host his usual celebrations.’

‘Yes, I was down at Christmas, but I have not seen him since. I have been in London and at my estate…’ His eyes darkened, making Eliza think he dwelled on something that pained him.

They had reached the farm gate. He opened it for her and stood back. She felt that he had withdrawn into himself.

‘I shall leave you here, Miss Bancroft. I have an errand to run…’

‘Goodbye, sir. I hope your uncle will soon be well again.’ Eliza watched him walk away, feeling puzzled. For a few moments he had seemed as if he meant to flirt with her, but then something had changed him. It was just as well, for she found him far too attractive.

***

Daniel was thoughtful as he left the young woman. He had just come from visiting the home of Jed Bailey. Unfortunately, the groom had disappeared two days previously. His mother said he had been restless and she thought he had taken it into his head to visit his cousin in Bristol.

‘There’s been something on his mind for weeks, sir,’ Mrs Bailey said. ‘I asked him what had upset him—and why he left the earl’s employ—but he wouldn’t tell me. He seemed excited and then… well, to tell you the truth I thought he was scared, sir. Then he came in, in a hurry, like, took his horse and said he was off to Bristol to see his cousin.’

‘If he should return, please ask him to come and see me.’ Daniel gave her one of his cards.

‘Yes, sir, of course.’ Mrs Bailey smiled as Daniel slipped a coin into her hand. ‘I expect it is just restless feet—you know how young men are, sir.’

Daniel agreed he did and left her. His enquiries in the village so far had been of some help, though he was troubled by what he had discovered. Marcus had certainly been at the inn for two hours on the afternoon of his death. The landlord said he was in a bad mood, and that he sat talking to a gentleman in the corner for an hour or more before the stranger left.

‘Did you know the man?’ Daniel asked.

‘No, sir. He was not local—but a gentleman, I would say. A surly cove. When one of my serving wenches went over to the table and asked if they wanted more wine he told her to stay away, for their talk was private.’

‘Is the girl here, landlord?’

‘No, sir, more’s the pity. Molly was a good worker. She went off the day after your cousin was killed—and never even told her mother where she was going. She’s not the first, but I didn’t think Molly was the flighty sort. There have been others go off, some would say gone missing, but I reckon they went to London to make their fortune—if you understand me. Still, Molly were a quiet girl and I thought she had a local lad.’

‘If you should hear anything you think might interest me, please send me word.’ Daniel gave him his calling card and two guineas for his trouble.

‘Yes, sir. I will let you know if Molly comes back.’ The landlord was thoughtful for a moment. ‘Does the name Cheadle mean anything to you, sir?’

‘Yes, it does—why?’ Daniel’s gaze narrowed intently.